February 26, 2012 by Kathy Schiffer 2 Comments
Looking for a way to deepen your Lenten experience this year? If you’re in southeastern Michigan, consider attending a performance of The Living Stations of the Cross at Detroit’s Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Read the story:
The music minister opened the door of the confessional, and it was stuffed top to bottom with garbage bags. The smell and dust was horrible. As I moved one of the bags, a small, wooden suitcase fell out from the top of the bags and landed on my foot. I sat down on the floor and opened it.
What I saw next will be with me until the day I die. Sitting in that dusty old suitcase, for over fifteen years, was a bloody crown of thorns and a purple sash. I started sobbing. God is so good!
In addition to the crown of thorns, Kelly Garver Nieto found over 60 costumes that day, piled in an unused confessional in an eastside Detroit area church. That was the beginning of the Living Stations of the Cross.
Nieto, a former Miss Michigan, Miss America Runner-Up, and Miss America Talent Winner, has performed as the opening act for Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, and Charlie Daniels. She is a former atheist who embraced the Catholic faith after exploring the occult and the New Age.
Kelly explains that Living Stations is a “vision” that God put on her heartwhile praying the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday in 2000. She felt a great spiritual pain during the Sixth Station. When Kelly looked at the altar, she saw Living Stationsand heard God’s voice say, “This is why you are here.” She knew she had been called for this work, but didn’t know how she could ever make it happen.
God heard her prayers; and with the help of many, Kelly created and produced The Living Stations of the Cross in her local parish for over ten years. To bring the story to the masses, Kelly brought Living Stations to Detroit’s Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in 2011. Over 11,000 people experienced this epic theatrical event last year; and in 2012, attendance is expected to reach over 22,000.
Living Stations has been described as the “Broadway version of the Passion of Christ” because of its professionalism, original musical score and epic theatrical production! Don’t miss this powerful prayer on the altar of the historic Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, Michigan during Lent 2012. Living Stations is based on the Stations of the Cross celebrated by Pope John Paul II in 1991 on Good Friday. These Stations reflect deeply on the Scriptural accounts of Jesus Christ’s Passion to prepare Christians, both Catholic and Protestant alike, for Holy Week.
Living Stations is an experiential musical journey through Christ’s Passion and an interactive prayer engaging all of the senses. It is a spiritual wake-up call; a visual realization of what Christ went through on the Cross. The music envelops and propels the participants through the story and each feels truly present at the foot of the cross, not just as an observer, but as an active participant in salvation history. School children and seniors enjoy the convenience of the matinee show times, while families, church groups and individuals attend the weekend performances. Catholic couples also find Living Stations to be an ideal way for them to grow in love for each other and for Christ. But not all of the participants are Catholic, or even religious. Some attend simply in search of a cultural experience.
Performances run from March 16 through April 1. For ticket information, visit their website.
Even Better! Experience the Living Stations and Help a Pro-Life Organization
Some of you may know that I serve on the board of Mother and Unborn Baby Care. Since 1984, Mother and Unborn Baby Care has been dedicated to stopping abortions by helping women continue their pregnancies in a normal, healthy manner through peer counseling which is pro-life, persuasive, informative and honest, but sensitive to the emotional and material needs of the mother.
Plan to attend the Living Stations on Saturday, March 17, at 5:00 p.m.—and 15% of your ticket price will help this pro-life organization to continue their important work. Reserve your tickets through the MAUBC button on the website to reserve your tickets for the March 17 performance. I look forward to seeing you there!